: Fri Dec 12, 2008 2:00 pm
Saturday December 13
13 Dec, 19:00 Valencia v Espanyol
13 Dec, 21:00 Barcelona v Real Madrid
Sunday December 14
14 Dec, 16:00 Athletic Bilbao v Sporting de Gijón
14 Dec, 16:00 Getafe v Mallorca
14 Dec, 16:00 Recreativo Huelva v Osasuna
14 Dec, 16:00 Valladolid v Deportivo la Coruna
14 Dec, 16:00 Málaga v C.D Numancia
14 Dec, 16:00 Almeria v Racing Santander
14 Dec, 18:00 Sevilla v Villarreal
14 Dec, 20:00 Atlético de Madrid v Real Betis Balompié
So then, set your videos and prime your armchairs, as El Classico is upon us. Ultimately this could prove to be one of the most one-sided Barcelona-Real Madrid derbies in years, as Pep Guardiola’s men look invincible right now whilst Real Madrid, coming off two consecutive losses and having dispensed with Bernd Schuster on Tuesday, look anything but. Or, a Ramos-inspired Real Madrid could pull off an unlikely win at the Camp Nou (spurred on by memories of their win there last year) and get back in the title race, handing Barcelona their first defeat since the opening day. Ramos re-jigged the formation for Tuesday’s game against Zenit and it seemed to work, so confidence in the team will be up. The big question is whether Madrid’s patchy defence can cope with Barcelona’s attacking might. I know where my money’s going.
Saturday’s main event is preceded by Valencia hosting Espanyol, a team themselves getting used to a change of management. Valencia were simply ripped to shreds by Barcelona last week so Unai Emery will need all his managerial skills to pick his team up and dispose of a team who will have Luis Garcia back leading the line after his ban.
On Sunday, there are several games of significance at the other end of the table as the bottom two face off at the Nuevo Colombino. Recre have the worst home record in the league, Osasuna the worst away; Unsurprisingly this game is not on the TV schedule. Sevilla, fresh from helping bringing about Schuster’s demise, now face the none-too-easy task of playing Villarreal, who are just about capable of anything depending on their mood and whether Nihat’s fit. Sporting Gijon take their surprisingly good away record to the San Mames and two of the season’s over-achievers thus far, Valladolid and Deportivo, meet at the Estadio José Zorrilla. Atletico Madrid, in free-scoring league form, come up against an improving Real Betis outfit having secured qualification to the next stage of the Champions league. Will they take their foot off the pedal? I would advise not missing any of the four TV games this weekend, they look like belters.
